Originally Posted by
TravellinHusker
Well, in my opinion, MR and SPG are two totally different animals. If you have the Starwoods Amex and you are a Platinum, the going in good at *woods. They do treat their Plats pretty nicely. Marriott has gone downhill the past few years and completely alienated it's Elite members. I used to be MR Plat as well as *woods Plat, so this is from my own personal experience. As for the awards, yes many of the MR rewards you can "buy" with your points are pretty cool. Not really sure they are worth the cost in points though. If you intend on using your points for travel, the SPG Cash+Points option is very, very attractive at many luxury properties where rooms often run $300+ a night. In the end, it all depends on what you are planning to use the points for. If your goal is to not travel on your free time because you've had too much travelling for work, then perhaps spending your points on products from the MR catalogue is the best thing for you. If you are looking for recognition while travelling and upgrades, etc.. then *woods is probably your best bet.
Thank you for elucidating this difference so well. Yes, I travel a lot for work, and I do not want to travel more
But, I do like the room upgrades for "work" travel when I do have to travel. My stays are often multi-day stays (3-5 days), and the upgrade is nice. I often stay at courtyards or FS marriot properites where I get a suite upgrade which is nice when you're away from home for a long time. I prefer not to travel more than I already have to for work, so the "free"/extra nights don't mean all that much, though the "toys" redemption is cool. In fact, I usually use my "free" nights for for my family (sister/brother) so they can come visit. I have a large family (4 kids) so staying at a property at this stage of my life is difficult. Last time I went on vacation, marriot wouldn't give let me redeem points for a room for 6 (2 queens + sleeper), I had to purchase it. So for marriot anyway, the points are most useful for "toy" purchases (i.e new TV, etc..) The toys are cool though
Does *wood have the same "points for toys" program, or is it for free stays only?
thanks a ton, I appreciate it
-pk